Daddy Daughter Issues
by Classic Cowboy
Summary: An insightful debriefing between a master and student, a father and daughter... Contains spoilers for KFP2 and hints of Tigress/Po


_**All characters are owned by Dreamworks pictures except for one original character (to be named in the last scene). This fic was written only for enjoyment and not for any financial profit. **_

**Daddy Daughter Issues**

Fireworks and cheers filled the air of Gongmen City just hours after the Dragon Warrior with the Furious Five, Master Shifu, Master Croc, and Master Ox defeated Lord Shen and his fleet of battleships.

Most of the Masters and the people of the city were gathered around the Dragon Warrior as the over-excitable panda gave a recount of the battle with the ships which was won by the use of the water manipulation technique his master had recently taught him. The only exception was Master Tigress who was off to the side, watching Po from a distance, taking in her friend and all around him.

"Master Tigress," the feline blinked and glanced to the side to see Master Shifu staring at her.

"Master," Tigress placed her fist in her palm and bowed to her adopted father, to which he returned the gesture.

"Could I have a moment," Shifu said, staring up at the Master of the Tiger Style.

"Of course," Tigress nodded, and Shifu turned and started to walk away from the crowd with Tigress walking close behind.

"I would like a detailed report on what went on since you left the Jade Palace a few days ago, Master Tigress," Shifu said, leaning slightly on Master Oogway's staff.

"Po, for the most part, led the mission, Master; shouldn't you speak to him about this?" Tigress asked curiously.

Shifu's ear twitched and his eyes narrowed slightly from the way she said the Dragon Warrior's name. He couldn't put a finger on it but she said it differently than she had before they left the Valley of Peace. Something _had_ happened. But what, the aged master wondered. "I did. All he said, and I quote verbatim, _nothing but pure awesomeness from the word go_," Shifu said, quoting with his fingers, "He also mentioned something about you being the icon of Hardcore. I was hoping you might share a more detailed summary of the events before I arrived."

"Nothing out of the ordinary that you're not already aware of, Master," Tigress said, avoiding eye contact.

Shifu blinked. Tigress just lied to him. That was new. One eyebrow rose as he studied the tiger he raised from a cub. Of all his students he knew her the best. Better than Po, better than even Tai Lung. She was more than just a student, far more than even an adopted daughter. He couldn't love her any more if she had been his own flesh and blood. A sigh escaped the red panda's throat as he wondered if she realized this.

After seeing the interaction of Mr. Ping and Po, Shifu's own mistakes with both Tai Lung and Tigress seemed so clear. But for one with such vast knowledge of Kung Fu, he struggled with how he could fix his own strained relationship with his daughter.

"Master Tigress," Shifu said, clearing his throat and focusing on the situation at hand. "Are you certain that is all you have to tell me?" He asked with a stern voice.

"There's nothing worth mentioning, Master," Tigress said, focusing her eyes on everything but the red panda, "I assure you."

"Then give me the minor details of the mission," Shifu advised with a nod, "Po was incredibly vague… and I did notice you and the rest of the five were chained upon my arrival…"

"That was… part of Po's plan," Tigress mumbled slightly, "Po had a … big plan… and we were… it was part of the plan…"

"Hm… must have been some plan…" Shifu glanced up at the sound of Po's laughter.

"It was," Tigress nodded, "If there isn't anything else, may I be excused, Master?"

"Of course," Shifu bowed, and Tigress returned the gesture and turned to leave. "Oh, I do have a question… What happened last night?" he asked and the effect on Tigress was instantly visible. Her whole body stiffened and her tail twitched and swung wildly for a moment.

"Nothing!" She said, not relaxing a muscle nor turning back to her master.

"Tigress, tell me the truth…" Shifu warned.

"What reason would I have not to, Master?" Tigress said, her voice cold, and if he swore her shoulders trembled slightly. "Nothing happened…"

"Tigress, if something happened I need to know about it," Shifu stated in a softer tone.

"You have nothing to worry about," Tigress replied, a slight tremor in her voice, "There was a slight… hiccup in the plan, but it sorted itself out in the end. We won, Shen was defeated and his weapons were destroyed. End of story."

"Tigress…" Shifu took a few steps toward his troubled daughter.

"Granted, I was caught unaware… we underestimated the enemy for a moment…" Tigress continued as Shifu came to her side.

"Mei Ren," He spoke softly and Tigress fell silent instantly. That was a name she had not heard from anyone since she was a small cub.

"Master?" Tigress finally looked into Shifu's eyes.

"I was meditating in yesterday evening and I… I felt you," Shifu eyed her sadly, "I heard you scream through my chi… I felt your pain… I felt so much pain. I am not asking as your master, Mei Ren… I'm asking as your father… a title I know I have no right to hold… but I know you were hurt… so I'm asking you… what happened?"

"I… I let Po be killed…" Tigress finally whispered, closing her eyes tightly.

"Wha… What?" Shifu asked, glancing to the slightly scorched-furred but otherwise healthy panda telling another story to the masses.

"I don't know how he survived but… I …" Tigress s flattened her ears against her head.

"Start at the beginning…" Shifu advised.

"When we first confronted Shen, Po hesitated… we managed to escape the destruction of the Palace Tower, and I confronted him about it at the Gongmen Jail… after some… encouragement… Po explained that he recognized Shen as being there in the last memory of his real mother and father…" she explained, and Shifu nodded.

"I suggested that Po stay behind at the jail. Shen was blood thirsty, Master. Po got lucky when he hesitated the first time, I knew if he gave Shen another opportunity he'd take it…I thought Po understood it was for his own safety…" Tigress rubbed her arms as she told the tale.

"He came anyway, didn't he?" Shifu said with a knowing smile.

"The stubborn… foolish… selfless…" Tigress growled, digging her claws into her palms. "Even if Shen knew exactly what happened to his parents, did he honestly think he'd just TELL him?"

"Po's always the first to see the best in anyone, we both know this," Shifu smiled softly.

"I know and while it is a noble trait, it's going to get him killed one day…" She said, and he was sure he heard her voice shake this time.

"Go on," Shifu urged.

"We had planned to use Shen's own explosive powder to destroy the factory and his battleships," Tigress explained, "we lit a series of barrels as bombs, and were about to escape when I caught sight of Po battling Shen in the rafters of the factory…"

Shifu nodded for her to continued, but he had an odd feeling of dread beginning to form. "We put out the bombs, but Shen's soldiers caught sight of us… I didn't care; I had to get to Po. He was too emotionally involved, I had to get up there… I had to help him… I had to get to him…" Tigress had always been the most emotionally controlled of his student, but hearing her voice quake and her crimson eyes brim with moisture caused him to share the pain she was relieving.

"I fought with everything I had to make it to where he was confronting Shen… I had a feeling… I'd never felt fear like this, Master, I knew something was about to go wrong… I managed to get up there just as Shen revealed one of his cannons… it was right in front of Po, Baba… I… I remember hearing someone scream… I think it was me…" She said, a tear sliding down her stripped cheek.

"And… the cannon fired… and it was like everything slowed down… Po looked at me… he looked at me and… and his eyes were apologetic…" Tigress closed her eyes tightly, not even noticing Shifu taking her paw into his own. "He was apologizing to me… to ME… I failed him and he was apologizing… and… and the cannon ball hit him… I watched his eyes close… his face crunch up in shock and pain… then he was pushed through a wall… I failed him and the last image I'd have of him was his face apologizing then in pain…"

"All the fight in me just left, I don't even remember being captured," Tigress shook her head, "All I could see all night and all day today was Po's eyes…"

"My sweet daughter…" Shifu pulled her down, and she made no effort to stop him from pulling her to her knees and into an embrace. Her arms wrapped around the small panda and she buried her face into his shoulder.

He held her till she regained her composure, and once she pulled away, Mei Ren was once again hidden behind Master Tigress. "Listen to me, listen to me closely. It was not your fault. You did not fail Po. If anyone was to blame it was Shen. Po has learned everything we do come with a risk."

"Broken bones and bloody knuckles," Tigress nodded with a small smile.

"And as you can see…"Shifu motioned where the perfectly alive Panda was dancing around the group, "He made it through, and proved once again that he is the Dragon Warrior. He's far more than what meets the eye, our Panda Po."

"That he is, Master…" Tigress said, and Shifu glanced at his adopted daughter noting a hint of longing in her tone of voice and her eyes. He was uncertain how he felt about this change in his student, or even if his daughter even recognized it herself.

"It was a close call, Tigress…Mei Ren, take it as such," Shifu said, grabbing her paw and giving it a slight squeeze before letting go and turning to the festivities. Thoughts crossed Shifu's mind as he gazed at the panda. He began to think about the relationship Po shared with his father and compared it to that of his with Tigress.

"Yes, Master," Tigress bowed. Shifu frowned slightly. Was that all he was to her now? Had he pushed her that far? The thought tore at his heart as much as the rage-filled screams he heard from Tai Lung's mouth when he rejected his apology. Hope was not completely lost; when her composure was weak she did call him Baba just moments ago… Perhaps he would arrange a meeting with Mr. Ping, just to have a conversation on what he could do to fix this.

"Come, Master Tigress, let us join in the celebration of Po's victory," Shifu said and led the tiger to the crowd.

-KFP-

In the wreckage of Lord Shen's battle fleet, a small group of goose and pig healers searched for survivors. They had just made it to the flagship and had found a few injured wolves that the pack had left behind when they retreated. "On three…" A pig said as they gathered around the destroyed main gun of raised flagship. "One … two… three!" He grunted and the canon was lifted and shifted to the side.

"It's… and he's…" one of the healers dropped to the broken body that was pinned under the cannon. His eyes widened in fear when the sound of a tiger roaring filled the air. The pig looked up to see feathers and blood flying through the air as his fellow healers were attacked by something that was moving almost too fast for him to make out clearly. His very last memory was of a black armored figure with orange and black striped furred arms flying toward him.

The attacker dropped the last healer's body to the ground before turning to the broken, burned but alive Lord Shen. "It would seem you failed, Shen," the attacker growled. "But you are not the first to underestimate the Panda and his allies. But perhaps, we can help each other…" the peacock slowly opened his one good eye, and glared at the attacker, the berserker, "Or I could leave you here to die… what will it be, Lord Shen?"

The peacock closed his eye and gave a weak nod. "Very good…" the Berserker said, lifting the injured body and before disappearing into the night…

**The End**

**Thus ends the first fic in my series "The Berserker Saga" hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to review! Also check out my unrelated KFP/Sonic the Hedgehog crossover!**

**out!**


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